Illustration: Ryan Inzana
“After I moved to New York, I by no means thought that I’d have just one job,” says Daniel Humm. The Switzerland-born chef arrived in 2006 to run the kitchen at Eleven Madison Park, which he purchased from Danny Meyer in 2011 and the place he’s been the only real proprietor since 2019. “It turned out to be this magical place that’s larger than me, and it has outlined my entire culinary profession,” he says. Throughout his time, EMP has turn out to be one of the outstanding eating places on the earth. It was world information when Humm introduced in 2021 that the restaurant would serve solely plant-based elements, simply because it was final yr when he introduced that meat would return to the menu. Now, to mark his twentieth anniversary there, the restaurant is staging a 20-day retrospective menu of its best hits, together with carrot tartare, a clambake, and celery root cooked in pig’s bladder. Principally however by no means totally vegetarian himself, he admits that when he goals of meat, it’s the flavors of his childhood: “My mother would make these unbelievable osso bucos. These are the issues that I’m drawn to most.”
Wednesday, December 31
We spent the vacation week at our home in Amagansett — me; my spouse, Annabelle; and my two youthful daughters, Vivienne and Collette. Justine, my oldest, was in Switzerland along with her boyfriend.
Round 11 a.m. we stopped by Carissa’s the Bakery in East Hampton to select up pastries. It’s one thing of a household ritual at any time when we’re on the market. They make unbelievable shakshuka. I had the pickled sourdough rye bread, toasted, with butter and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. It’s very satisfying — tangy, heat, and barely chewy — and doesn’t want anything.
We saved lunch easy on the home, throwing collectively a number of salads utilizing greens we’d picked up on the farmers’ market earlier within the week. Nothing difficult. It’s so magical on the market as a result of they’ve these working farms, so I simply take what they’ve from the farm that day. I added roasted root greens that had been earthy and slightly candy. It was one thing nourishing to gasoline us forward of an extended night time of celebrating.
For dinner, we went to an in depth buddy’s place for a New Yr’s Eve home get together. My spouse and I obtained married in June, and we celebrated with a vegan dinner at Eleven Madison Park. So it felt particularly significant to ring within the New Yr surrounded by so many individuals who had been additionally on the marriage ceremony, together with shut family and friends.
My mates at all times have unbelievable style, and the dinner desk mirrored that via stunning cheeses and considerate wines. Somebody introduced caviar with potato chips; that they had platters of crudités with hummus and smoked salmon. It was beautiful as a result of it wasn’t a sit-down dinner, extra of a celebration, however not an enormous get together, so they simply handed meals. I sampled a little bit of all the pieces.
We contemplated “cheers-ing” at 11, however in the long run, we stayed till midnight and obtained dwelling round 1 o’clock.
Thursday, January 1
We had a sluggish morning at dwelling, easing out of the night time earlier than. Only a few mugs of espresso.
I’ve a complete setup: A La Marzocco espresso machine with the little scale and all the pieces. I make cappuccino within the morning, with common entire milk and occasional from Devoción, which we work with on the restaurant. I’ve that machine in every single place I’m going: one on the workplace, one at dwelling, and one at our home in Amagansett.
Within the morning, I at all times make a inexperienced juice with elements like celery and spinach and kale and recent ginger. And I’ve a spoonful of New Zealand manuka honey. Each night time I even have a shot of high-phenolic olive oil from Greece. I’ve been studying about the advantages of manuka honey and high-phenolic olive oil; I’ve been taking them for about 4 years or so, and I really feel nice.
We packed as much as head again to town, and at 1 p.m., we did the New Yr’s Day Polar Bear Plunge at Cooper’s Seashore. It was a beautiful day with a blue sky however freezing, like 20 levels. We jumped within the ocean amongst 1,000 different individuals. It snowed the night time earlier than, and driving dwelling, all the pieces was in white. It jogged my memory of once I was a child in Switzerland.
On the drive again dwelling to New York, we stopped to select up a few loaves from She Wolf. Again on the condo in Flatiron, we made a late brunch: thick slices of the crusty, barely bitter bread toasted till golden; omelets with Gruyère cheese; espresso; and recent celery juice. The eggs had been smooth, whereas the cheese was nutty and simply melted sufficient. Beginning the yr this fashion, by cooking at dwelling with my spouse and daughters, felt deeply peaceable.
After I’m with my ladies at dwelling, we at all times attempt to do a pasta night time. So we went to Eataly to select up elements to make spaghetti pomodoro. I take advantage of a mix of tomatoes that deliver totally different levels of sweetness, cooked shortly with slightly garlic and onion and a beneficiant quantity of olive oil.
After I’m cooking, everybody sits across the kitchen island consuming snacks and cheese. I often do the cooking — not as a result of they don’t wish to assist, however largely as a result of I really feel prefer it’s faster and extra exact once I make it. I prefer to have a bottle of wine open once I prepare dinner, however I’m attempting to do a sober January, so I haven’t had a drink this yr but.
Earlier than mattress, I had my shot of olive oil. And I may really feel the start of a chilly approaching.
Friday, January 2
I work out earlier than breakfast. Afterward, nonetheless in a festive spirit, we began the day with pastries we picked up from Lysée.
Lysée’s madeleines are a staple in our home. They’re so tender and calmly crisp on the edges. We additionally introduced dwelling the chestnut brioche — I don’t bask in pastries on a regular basis, so it’s a deal with once I do. It’s full of smooth chestnut cream layered inside a moist milk brioche, completed with a fragile crumble and a complete chestnut confit on prime. Wealthy however not heavy and gently candy, it paired completely with espresso for us and large mugs of sizzling chocolate for the women. And we had recent fruit.
After breakfast, I ended by Eleven Madison Park to examine in on preparations for our newest menu. We’re launching a 20-day retrospective menu that displays on the final 20 years of concepts and evolution. Lunch was an R&D tasting of the ultimate dishes, a stroll down reminiscence lane of most of the highlights of my time at EMP.
We begin the meal with a clambake, first on the menu in 2011. The clambake is an area conventional dish that’s often fairly informal, however we’ve a extra refined model, utilizing totally different clams with totally different garnishes. Some are uncooked, a few of them are cooked, and the entire thing is available in a custom-made pot that holds a clam velouté within the heart. The pot is surrounded by sizzling rocks, and we pour seaweed water over them on the desk, which then creates the odor of the ocean.
There’s additionally celery root cooked in pig’s bladder, based mostly on a standard dish created by Paul Bocuse within the ’70s that initially used hen. When it’s plated, it actually appears like two white circles. There’s an L.A. artist named Paul McCarthy, and when he had the dish, he mentioned, “Oh my God, I really feel like I’m consuming a portray by Robert Ryman.” It was the best praise I’ve ever acquired; it was the primary time in my profession — after greater than 30 years — I felt I did what I at all times tried to do, the place it appeared so easy however it had all the pieces that an amazing dish wanted.
We do these R&D tastings recurrently. Every dish has been reworked because the earlier tasting, incorporating suggestions from the group and from me, refined repeatedly till it feels proper. I gave the group a number of remaining notes so they may make their final refinements at first was locked in — even in spite of everything these years, that course of nonetheless feels magical.
For dinner, the women needed pizza, so we went to Ceres Pizza on Mott Avenue. The house owners, Julian Geldmacher and Jake Serebnick, are Eleven Madison Park alums, and for me it really is among the best slices on the earth. I can’t order off of the menu there — they simply make one thing. We took two dwelling: one was with mushrooms, quite simple however so scrumptious. And the opposite one was a traditional with tomato and mozzarella: skinny, balanced, deeply satisfying.
Saturday, January 3
Breakfast was espresso at Devoción with Annabelle. Most mornings, if we are able to handle it, that is our rhythm. We had lattes and shared a few pastries, lingering a bit longer than typical earlier than work takes over.
Lunch was one other working assembly. I met my co-author, Roda Ahmed, with whom I collaborated on our upcoming kids’s ebook, Daniel’s Dream. We met at abcV; it’s certainly one of my favourite lunch spots within the metropolis. I’m at all times drawn to easy, well-prepared salads that really feel clear however nonetheless satisfying. Currently, I’ve been loving the endive and castelfranco radicchio. It’s crisp, barely bitter, and balanced with simply sufficient richness to deliver all the pieces collectively.
For dinner, Annabelle and I ended by Superiority Burger. It’s on the Decrease East Aspect, and it’s a enjoyable place that performs rock and roll and punk-rock music. It’s all plant based mostly, and the meals is scrumptious. We break up a fried tofu burger and the collard-greens-and-melted-cheese sandwich. It’s unattainable to decide on between them. We additionally shared the pumpkin with chili oil, the fried halloumi, and the beets with goat cheese. All the things was daring and satisfying. It was the right meal for such a chilly night time.
I drank a shot of olive oil earlier than mattress. I now had a full-blown chilly. I feel I obtained it from doing the Polar Bear Plunge. As a chef, that’s horrible, as a result of you may’t actually style, however I nonetheless have sense reminiscence. I by no means completed highschool, so all the pieces that I do know is thru the language of meals. I’ve a library of tastes and smells in my head, they usually instantly deliver me to a profound place. So once I give you a recipe, and I do know the elements which might be in it, I do know precisely the way it must style.
Sunday, January 4
After an extended week of festivities and work, Annabelle and I had a correct date over brunch at Sant Ambroeus within the West Village. We got here right here lots once we first had been falling in love, and it’s a really significant place for us. I ordered the home omelet, which is precisely what I needed: tender eggs, merely ready, accompanied by water and a cappuccino. Sitting there collectively, unhurried, is one of the best feeling on the earth.
For dinner, we met one other couple at Borgo. In the summertime, the restaurant has an out of doors backyard, however now it has a fire, and it has an all-wood inside. Its sensibility feels European; not too many issues on the menu — a number of salads, a number of pastas, slightly fish, an amazing hen. It’s a really sincere place.
We shared a number of salads: chicories, citrus, and shaved kohlrabi, all crisp, shiny, and balanced, every ingredient allowed to talk for itself. We additionally ordered a number of of the pastas and the entire roasted branzino.
Since a visit to Greece final yr, I’ve been gravitating increasingly more towards Mediterranean flavors and seafood — and Borgo does them fantastically. That journey really impressed me to deliver again a dish from early in my profession for my retrospective menu: a poached tilefish with citrus, edamame, and white radish. I used to be glad my companions agreed to share the flaky branzino. For me, it’s by no means been about “meat or not meat” — it’s extra about how we get to the meals, ?
EAT LIKE THE EXPERTS.
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